sweet moon
by XxsmilesandlaughsxX
Summary: That beautiful relief felt like bliss. I howled into the night and let the moon shower me with its glow. Its luminating power shifted through my body rustling my fur.The beauty of the night, its dark glow, its beckoning call. It was pure magic.
1. Chapter 1

Prolog

My bones crunched and my legs squeezed with tension. I doubled over as my abdomen clenched and twisted. My limbs elongated and my muscles bubbled thickening with strength. My ears became long and tufts of hair sprouted from the tips. My nails grew hard and sharp and my fingers stretched towards the moon. Blood swelled in my mouth pushing out my teeth and creating a dark muzzle. My knees buckled and heat flooded through me like hot desire. A searing pain erupted through my body like an endless flood and then just as I thought it would go on forever my body snapped back into place releasing me from the agony.

That beautiful relief felt like bliss. I howled into the night and let the moon shower me with its glow. Its luminating power shifted through my body rustling my fur. The beauty of the night, its dark glow, its beckoning call. It was pure magic. I stretched out my limbs and twisted my torso with pleasure.

"Sweet, sweet moon", I groaned as I made my final shift and began the run. I weaved my way through the tall trees barely skimming the earth with my toes. I lightly walked over each rock and fallen branch in my way. The animals shied from my presence and bowed with honor as I passed. Now I was the predator and they were my prey. Grinning I picked up my speed lifting my arms like wings.

"You always were a light foot Courtney", a chirper voice came swinging from a tree branch above and a shaggy chestnut wolf creature leapt out of the trees above stopping me. Broken twigs snapped and littered the forest floor. Her toothy grin broadened and her teeth were biting down hard on a furry tail. Like mine, her eyes were a deep black color lightened with purple streaks. "What are you doing, running around all alone?" she asked slinky her way over to me.

"I was hungry and felt in the mood for some rabbit…What are you doing here Kristina? Forest not big enough for you?" I smiled back at her and crouched low as if I were looking for a pair of long white ears. I turned my back on her and began scanning the ground, now that I thought about it I was a little hungry. A little piece of meat would probably do me some good.

"Really? Is that so?" she cocked her eye brows and tilted her head to the side "I don't believe you…you hate eating raw".

"No I don't! I'm fine with it, now leave me alone I'm hunting", I pushed passed her and dropped to the ground listening to the vibrations of the earth hoping that the little pitter patter of feet would save me from this unwelcome conversation. I could already feel an old argument rear its ugly head again.

"No I won't, we need to talk about this now!" she roared with passion and sprang in front of me blocking my path "why won't you listen to me? We need to find a new place and fast before they come back for us".

I growled back in defiance, "Miriam and Pete were kind to us, helped us in our time of need and how do we repay them? By sending them to the hospital! I am not putting anyone else in danger!" I advance on her and pointed my clawed hand at her chest. The painful tears that couple shed for us were nearly unbearable. They loved us even for our flaws and kept us out of harm's way for as long as possible. I should've told them that the peace wouldn't last…it never lasts. I shoved past her with all my strength not caring if she got offended. It was her stupid idea in the first place.

"And you think I do? You don't think I regret putting them in danger? You think I wanted to hurt some of the only people who actually cared for us after the accident?" Kristina stormed after me slamming me into a nearby tree. Her claws ripped into my fur.

"No of course not", I winced. Why did she have to always bring up the accident?

"Look I understand what you're saying. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of us either…but we need to leave…now. We can't keep holding out here", she loosened her grip around my neck and let my feet touch the ground again. I said nothing. We had been over this a million times already; there was no point in saying anything else.

"That's why" she cautiously took a step back and stood in a defensive poise "I think we should find another pack".

"What!" I barred my teeth and gripped unto the tree behind me. My claws were ripping away at the bark sinking deeper and deeper into the wood. My voice rose into a higher octave and my eyes were looking for murder.

"Courtney please! Hear me out, for just a second", she stood her ground knowing a fight was inevitable.

My head was reeling "How could she suggest such a thing?" I looked back at her pleading face. I jumped at her ready to tear off her pelt.

"Courtney, you know I will never replace Demitri or Angela- I never could-but we need help and we can't keep living like this", she struggled to say as she shifted positions so she could pin me. I wouldn't hear it I fought back with all my heart. The memories of my family clouded my eyes with tears. "I won't let them go!" I shouted more for myself than her.

"**We** **won't**...but you know I'm right" she pressed her weight on my body and her fur suffocated me. For the next few minutes she pressed hard against me until finally she felt my submission. The night was nearly silent. No owls cooing or animals skittering along, just my soft sobs. Slowly Kristina pulled herself off of me and sat up against a tree looking worn. I crawled over to the tree opposite hers and sighed. She was right we had to leave. It was only a matter of time before they found us again.

"Even if we could find another pack, what makes you think they would accept us?" I tilted my head towards the stars and let the moon's light empower me.

"We have to try. When we were still living with Miriam and Pete I came across a scent just outside the next state. It led north. It was old but I think we should still try it"

"Fine"

"Tomorrow it is then", she rolled onto her belly and curled up into a tight ball. Her tail curled around guarding her stomach. I followed her cue curled up next to her. I hadn't completely forgiven her but I also wasn't going to sleep exposed just for the sake of spiting her. So with my back against hers I tightened up into my own ball and drifted to sleep, tears still streaming down my face.

_"Courtney you must get out with Kristina", Demitri held onto his bleeding side panting. He had morphed back into his skin and was leaning against a tree. Behind him another explosion went off throwing another pile of wood to the forest. Smoke rose from my wooden home cloaking the sky. Muffled screams of dying children and injured men surrounded me. _

_"No I won't leave you…you know I can fight, I can help", I pleaded with him. He knew I could fight better than half of our guards. _

_"Please, for me C-ne", his hair slipped into his eyes and his breathing deepened. He bent over in pain. I pressed down my pride and nodded my agreement. Using my pup nickname was a low blow that always worked on me. Plus he was too wounded to even fight with me. Which definitely meant he was in bad shape. _

_"Fine we will go but only to the next state…you must promise to meet us there", I grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug. I took in his smell for memory so I could sense him coming a mile away…just in case. He had to make it, he just had to. _

_"Run, run and don't turn back…no matter what", he ignored my promise and headed back into the smoke. Blood was trailing behind him. He looked back at us with sad eyes. _

_"Dimitri!" I yelled after his retreating body. He wasn't going to meet us and he knew it. This couldn't be happening. _

_"Courtney we have to move, now", Kristina grabbed my hand and pulled me into the cover of the trees. Another explosion went off and with it another brother fell to the ground dangerously burned. _

_I ran and ran into the night naked in my skin. Beside me my sister ran, face filled with horror. Her eyes were blood shot and her mangled hair was clumped together with blood. Pain shot through my legs making them stiff. I felt like a robot. I was running without thinking my legs were machines following Demitri's orders. "Run" ,he said "run and don't turn back…no matter what". The words echoed in my head like a pray for safety._

_"Courtney I can't run anymore. Not in my skin", Kristina fell to the ground exhausted. Her light skin shone under the depressing moonlight. Great moon why was this happening to us? The vision of pearl razor teeth came back to me. _

_I fell on my knees beside her and looked up into the black sky. Sparks of fire crackled across the sky. The screams of pain and cries for help had faded into the background as we ran. _

_"Nina…", I looked over at her huddled form my voice shaky. Tears streaked my face washing soot from my cheeks. _

_"I know…I know" she crawled to where I was and hugged me tightly. My body was still shaking with fear. Over head red sparks flew like blood. My will was draining from me and the ebbing darkness in my mind was beginning to take over. Just this morning it seemed as if my world was perfect. Everything was beautiful. I had food, shelter, and a pack that loved me. And then all in one night my world went spiraling into oblivion. _

_I cried into her bare arms filled with misery. Angela was gone, Sammy, the twins, and now Dimitri. Dead, they were all dead. _

I woke up with a yelp spinning onto my back in a growl. I was ready to fight whoever came my way, even the fiercest of competitors. Next to me Kristina turned in her sleep. The night air was cool against my face. All was silent.

Grunting I went back to the river to bath myself awake. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now. I would just be finishing my dream where it left off. I shuddered at the thought. Even in my dreams I couldn't escape my past.

**i had been thinking about this for a while now, just a thought i've been tossing around in my head. i got the idea from a book called, "blood and chocolate"-luv that book. plus there are so many fanfics about vampires i figured it was about time to do one on were-wolves. :D soooooooo... do you like it so far? hate it? please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Come on Courtney let's just get this over with", Kristina grabbed a hold of my hand and pushed me through the door of the town's shelter. The scent of must, sweat, and beef stew clung to the air and assaulted my nose. Dear moon why did humans have to put off such weird smells? The shelter's fluorescent lights flickered above us. All eyes landed on us. Crowds of raggedy looking people stared mouth agape at the sight of us. The line for the supper stopped and the nuns spooning liquid into cracked bowls began touching their shoulders, chest, and head making invisible crosses. You could hear a pin drop (I believe that was the saying humans used).

"Come on it's in the back", Kristina tugged on my sleeve urging me to ignore their staring eyes. I walked towards the back looking straight ahead, gritting my teeth at a man nearby who dropped his spoon on the floor.

"Kristina, why are they staring at us?" I moved my hand to my ear making sure it wasn't pointed or sprouting tufts of fur. They were perfectly round, so why were they staring?

"Maybe it's my teeth", I licked my tongue over in my mouth feeling for my fangs. Why were they staring at us!

"Your clothes, Courtney" Kristina smirked nodding her head to my outfit as if it were obvious.

"What's wro-", I mumbled off taking in my appearance. My jeans were ripped and caked in mud, and my baggy white t-shirt was torn to shreds barely covering my body underneath. The smily face on the front of my shirt was barely recognizable. I wiggled my dirt drenched toes-I didn't even have shoes to cover my feet. Maybe I was a tad bit underdressed for them.

"Forget them, let's just get dressed and leave", she tugged on my shirt again. We came to a stop in front of a rusty metal door with the words _free clothes _scribbled crudely on a sheet of paper. The duct tape holding it up was curled in the corners and seconds away from falling to the floor. The smell of decay was clear to pick up on. I knocked on the hollow frame creating a subtle creak below its surface. Behind the door someone-from what I could smell it was a boy-who was shuffling around mumbling to himself. Two seconds later he came out with a glaze over his eyes. One look at us and he began gawking just like the rest. I rolled my eyes pushing through the door.

"Excuse me, but are we supposed to see you for clothes?" Kristina stepped forward looking around the dark room uncertain.

"Uh yeah", the boy put down his magazine and kept idly staring not daring to move yet. We just looked back at him expectantly, if he was looking for an excuse he wasn't going to get one. Finally he got the good will to usher us fully in.

"Can we have a little privacy now?" I crossed my arms and glared at him giving him one of those 'what are you looking at?' stares. So what if our clothes were a bit worn and disheveled. Couldn't a girl stretch out in the forest on her paws without being judged?

"Su-sure", he stammered before stumbling out of the room leaving the door slightly open to keep watch.

"Yeah like we're actually going to steal **free **clothes", I mumbled under my breath. Kristina laughed at my scowl heading towards the racks of clothes.

The clothes were covered with moth balls and dust and had an odd smell to them. Why did humans always smell so weird? Heavy perfume, cheap cologne, it was all revolting. I made a face at a heavy fur coat soaking in a sharp scent.

"They aren't that bad…it sort of reminds me of Charla's old coats", Kristina smiled at the memory of the old widow who first took us in. It seemed like ages since we had last seen her. What was it now-a year or so ago?

I scrunched my face up, I did appreciate Charla for all that she did but sometimes the perfume she wore made me want to shoot myself. Especially with all the hugs she tried to give us. She could never understand why I pushed her away. She probably thought that I hated her (and I did at first) but really it was her perfume that kept me at arms length. Cherries, and lavender…a horrible combination. I wiggled my nose at the memory. My nose was so much more sensitive than the others in my pack. I gave the best of our hunters a run for their money. If there was a rabbit hole a mile away I could find it with ease.

"There's nothing in these racks that's good", I pushed past another floral print button down sighing. The whole rack was full of over sized shirts and ugly coordinated flowers.

"That's because you're looking in the men's rack" Kristina chuckled at my wrong observation and turned me in the direction of another row, where thankfully not a flower print could be seen.

"I knew what I was looking at, I uh", I scrambled to think of a good excuse to cover for my mistake "was looking for something that could've been put there by mistake. You know a hidden gem or something".

"Uh huh, sure"

I turned over to the next row of clothes and scanned through them bored. If it wasn't for the boy that crawled back into the room (like we didn't see him tip toe in- please) I would've gone through this rack in seconds. If he wasn't here I wouldn't have to put on this charade and do everything so slowly.

"Hey I think I found something", Kristina came out of the changing room in a simple blue sundress that cut at the middle of her thigh. The kid in the corner dropped his jaw.

"A dress? Really? Don't you think that's a little bit illogical?" I looked at the tight dress with worry. There was no way we could out run anyone with that tight thing "Besides it looks like it's about to pop at its seams". Her body was way too curvy for that thing.

"I think you may be right" she twisted her form in the mirror "why don't you try it on, it should fit you", she headed back into the dressing room and swung the slinky dress over the door towards me.

"Oh ha-ha", I called after her sarcastically.

She came back out in a few more seconds this time in a more practical shorts and a loose belly shirt from the 80s. I rolled my eyes at her appearance. She also went for clothes that were more out there than necessary. She loved her body and loved even more to show it off. So did all the wolves in our pack. They always saved a howl for her when she walked by. She started a lot of fights back then.

"I guess that's better but what else are you going to bring?" I nodded towards the burlap sack in her hand that was nearly full. One thing I actually liked about these homeless shelters were they had plenty clothes to spare. And if you looked particularly in need they were sure to let you take more than others. This shelter, especially, was really nice compared to the others we had been to. Most of the hand-me-downs here were surprisingly well kept and…pretty for lack of any better words.

"Nothing really just a few more shirts, a pair of jeans and a skirt. We can always get more things later on", she closed her bag up and hung it on her shoulders. "Really though, you should take the dress, I bet it would look good on you", she grabbed the dress from the chair I had put it on and shoved it into my bag persistantly. I unlike her had packed more practically. I couldn't always be in my skin to keep warm so I mostly packed long sleeved polos and sweatshirts-so much different from the racy clothes she chose. The only thing I was missing was a pair of shoes to keep with me.

"Where are your shoes?" I turned back to the boy watching our every move.

"Um yeah, they're near the front", the boy shied out of my way and led us to the shoe section. Without a word he headed back to his station with an embarrassed grin.

"Oh look at that Courtney, looks like the meat-boy was giving you the eye", Kristina laughed at his shy shuffle down the aisles. I looked at her like she was crazy. A meat-boy looking at me? Yeah right. When I was forced to go to public schools by our "guardians" all the boys avoided me like the plague. I could never figure out why though. Maybe they sensed what I was, who I became at night.

"Oh please you and I both know it wasn't me he was looking at", I muttered under my breath and turned towards the sneakers on display. I was instantly drawn to the sturdy pair of nikes in the very back. Next to them was a cute pair of white strapped heels that Kristina naturally grabbed. Sometimes she just made no sense at all.

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"So which way do we head now?" I took a bite of meat and stared into the fire roaring with life. We were only an hour outside of town and still had a few minutes of daylight left. We had decided that we should wait for night's cover before we set off. With the dark as our coat we could easily slip into the shades of the trees and hide from prying eyes. That way we could run in our fur and save time. We would do all our resting and eating during the day.

"Northeast. That's where I last picked up the scent", Kristina put down her meat leg and began stripping. "I don't know why you like charred rabbit over stew…it taste like firewood".

"I don't prefer charred, I **prefer** deer…rabbit is so gamy" I started ditching my clothes as well and putting them back into the bag.

Kristina just smirked and tied her bag around her neck ready to go. I followed her example ready to get going. I let a small yelp of pain escape my lips as my bones rearranged and snapped in place. My spine tingled and finally the pain was over. And then the sweet, sweet release came urging me to run.

"Come on we have moon light to burn", I stretched out over the tall grass fresh in a new pelt of fur and pushed myself through the forest letting the wind take me away.

"Come on light foot, is that the best you can do?" Kristina called over her shoulder and let out a loud cry of joy. Relishing in the challenge I followed in pursuit quickening my pace. The world around me became a blur and the dark colors of the forest blended into each other. We raced for two days along a river headed north, stopping only when we needed something to drink or when we needed to take a quick nap.

"I picked up a scent only a few minutes ago…it seems fresh" I slowed down letting Kristina catch up to me. "We should be there in a matter of seconds now" I shifted back to my skin and dived into the icy river.

"Ahh", I sighed contently floating on my back. The slow tide brushed against my skin so gently it wore away the ache in muscles. I loved running, but running day and night constantly took a lot out of me. I swished around in the water and scrubbed my limbs clean. I stepped back to the grass and used an old shirt to dry myself off.

"Kristina, can you pass me something out of my bag", I drained my hair above the water and ran my shirt through it drying each strand. A piece of blue fabric came sailing towards me.

"Oh no" my eyes widened in terror "there is no way I'm wearing this…" I flipped the ghastly sundress in my hands and put it up against my body. It was so unnecessarily flashy. And it was the last thing I wanted to wear when we were coming across a new pack. First impressions were so crucial. And I had to be extra careful if I wanted them to accept us. I mean, what if they kept to the trees like us or even more than us. Something flashy like this could set them back.

"Look you only have two other shirts and they're dirty. You don't have a choice" Kristina pulled a pink belly shirt and shorts on. "Besides you want to make a good impression right? Well dirty shirts just don't make good impressions" Darn she knew me too well.

"Ugh…fine" I pulled the dress on defeated. I wanted to just go in my fur so badly but I couldn't. The scent I picked up only a few minutes ago could have been of wolves on a hunt. To come in our fur could make them defensive for. And we couldn't have that. We needed protection not more enemies.

"You look fine in it. Now quite your whining and come on" Krisina started walking on the path of their scent. Looking down at the snuggly fit outfit one more time I resigned following after her.

"This stupid dress, I can't even run in it" I clumsily ran up to her stumbling over a few rocks.

"Then rip it on the side that should help…" Kristina yanked at the hem of my skirt ripping a long split on each side of my leg.

"It's becoming a lot stronger" I sniffed the air again. Yeah we were definitely getting close now. It was only a matter of time before we crossed them. Following my nose I led her through the thick trees to a clear meadow where I stopped to wait. There was no point in going any further. They were on a straight path towards us and it was better for them to spot us first than the other way around.

"Courtney, there's no one here", Kristina looked around the field expectantly.

"Just wait, they're coming towards us", I ignored the crazy look she was giving me and turned towards a tree outside of the meadow. We had a few more seconds of waiting and I was going to spend that time resting as much as possible. The last thing I needed was for their first impression of me to be slumped over, worn down.

"Woo hoo!" a whoop of laughter came hurling through the trees as a group of half changed teens swung into the clearing right on cue. The first to come through was a boy that looked about 18 maybe 19. He had long blonde hair that stopped at his cheeks. His blue eyes were surrounded with bushy light brown eye browns and he wore a tattered cow boy hat. His toothy grin was already showing fangs. His open pink shirt had patches of blonde fur sticking out. Behind him came another boy with shaggy black hair and green eyes. His shirt was already off and most of his torso was covered in fur. His hair came down to his shoulders and he was walking hunched over with a curve in his spine. Finally the last to come out was a young man not yet changed. His hair was jet black that was nearly completely shaved besides a green streak off hair that stood up in the middle. His eye brows were covered with metal studs and his light blue eyes looked stern. He calmly walked behind his laughing friends with an amused grin.

"Kristina put a little muscle on just in case", I whispered as I stepped up to her side. My muscles thickened and a lump grew in my throat. This was the moment we had been waiting for. I stepped forward into the moon light and showed my face. Their laughter immediately came to a halt. The two changed boys looked up at us and crouched into a defensive position. Crap, they thought we were one of them.

"My name is Courtney, and this is my sister, Kristina", I put up my hands in defense stepping forward.

"Duncan" the boy with the green streak stepped in front of the group- he must have been the leader-"this is Geoff"-he pointed to the blonde-"and that's Trent"-he nodded to the other one. He looked calm and at ease but from under his white t I could see his muscle tense. He didn't think we were a threat like the other two, but he was still ready to pounce at any moment just in case. "And what would two sexy girls like yourselves be doing in these big bad woods". He took another step forward meeting us in the middle.

"We're from Demitri's pack in the west and we need to see your pack leader", I rolled my eyes and leaned back.

"Keep it together Courtney. Just have to get through this cretin and you're home free. Just remember first impressions are what count the most" I thought trying to calm myself down from his "flirtation". Kristina looked pleased. Typical.

"Demitri you say…Eh ok, you can see Jeremiah. Boys keep your eye on them", he turned his back on us and headed back in the trees. Kristina and I followed silently looking back every now and then to see the boys were still following us closely. We came close to a suburban town just near the woods. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Low lights dimly shone like a festival.

"You live in a town", I hurried my pace to catch up with Duncan. The blonde, Geoff tried to hold me back but one glare set him straight. I understand he was worried for his friend but really there was only so much I would tolerate. No one touched me like that unless they wanted a broken wrist-first impression or not!

"Of course", he kept walking without looking my way. I made a disgusted face that I shot back at Kristina. What had she gotten us into this time?

Duncan's POV

We traveled through the streets quietly with nothing left to say to each other. The younger girl, Courtney stayed by my side for the rest of the walk. Her arms swung by her side so close to me that I could practically feel her heat burn my skin. Every now and then when we bumped into each other (really it was just her bumping into me and me letting it happen-what can I say, she's hot) she would blush and mumble something that sounded close to an apology. We walked nearly a foot a head of the others. Kristina, her sister was trapped between Geoff and Trent who were still half changed.

"Damn I wasn't that serious", I thought shaking my head. They always had my back and I appreciated that but when it came to "business" they always took it a little over board. These girls I was sure couldn't do any harm. They were obviously our kind and not a part of the others so what did they expect from the girls. Besides they were hot! I looked over at Courtney her skirt barely skimmed across her thighs and had rips up the sides. Her hair was disheveled and leaves were sewn deep into its chestnut surface. She had a small scowl on her lips probably because she was still thinking about the whole "we live in a town" thing-which was kinda hot, definitely was digging the angry look on her.

I had heard about Demitri from Jeremiah some time ago and he mentioned that Demitri's pack had lived in the sticks for generations. They had tried to live in the cities but eventually made that rare choice to finally just go back to their good old sticks. And if Courtney was really from this guy's pack then she had to be from the sticks too. And I had only met one guy that lived that way before and the transition to a city had been hard on him. Poor girls didn't know what they were getting themselves into.

We stopped in front of my house not too far away from our field. Most of the lights were off except for the living room light where Jeremiah was most likely waiting for us.

"Aw man", Geoff moaned behind me sharing my thoughts. I could never sneak out without him knowing about it. He always knew exactly what time I left and what time I got back in no matter how quiet I was. Sometimes he would even set traps. He would be sitting in my room patiently waiting for my return in the dark. And when I got back he would pounce. God he was good. It was like he had a hidden tracker on me somewhere. It was only a matter of time before I found it then I could go out whenever I wanted to.

"It's gonna be fine", I whispered back to him keeping a low profile. If we played our cards right we still had a chance out of this. "We've got them this time". I pointed to the two girls. If we looked like we were on some kind of mission because we heard a "noise" then we might be alright. It was business after all and in the name of the pack. I unlocked the door and squeezed myself through the screen. It was pointless at this point because he had to know it was us by now but habit controlled me.

"Duncan come in here…and bring your new friends", Jeremiah's voice rang through the hall way guiding us to the living room where he was waiting. He was sitting calmly in a green arm chair with a hard cover western novel open on his lap. The tall lamp was barely on above him.

"Geoff, Trent, why don't you two go home now. I'm sure your parents are wondering where you are by now" he put his book mark in and folded his book closed flashing the cover of an old man and a horse.

"Um sure dude", Geoff backed out the door again even more slowly with Trent following right behind. They both gave me apologetic-yet relieved-looks before running out tail between their legs.

"Thanks", I sighed plopping down into the chair opposite him. It was a policy of mine that if I was getting punished then I minus well be comfortable doing it. Jeremiah ignored me and looked towards our guests.

"Courtney, Kristina, it's good to see you again", Jeremiah smiled and laid back in his chair looking between the two girls.

"How do you know our names, we didn't even introduce ourselves" Courtney took the initiative and sat down on the couch next to me. Her sister followed.

"I know Demitri, we met when we were just pups. Well when **I** was just a pup. He was actually almost a man by that time. Our packs used to be fairly close when we lived in the woods and as the messenger for my pack I was sent back and forth a lot. On one of my trips I encountered some of the huntsmen clan. There weren't that many of them, just four young clansmen itching to prove themselves, but I was young as well. Long story short I barely managed to get away with my life. I was running around for days a complete wreck until Demitri found me. He took me back to the inn and took care of me. After that we kept in touch even though my pack had to relocate. I came when he was being inducted as pack leader and he did the same when I got the title. When he did, he brought his daughters with him", Jeremiah folded his hands and nodded towards us finished with his story.

My memory started to click together, now that the pieces were laid out for me. After our father had died, Jeremiah was first up for the role. He was the first born after all and it was his right to be the first in line. No one had any issues with him or challenged him in anyway so it was a unanimous decision he would lead us. He was perfect for the job, smart, wise, easy going, everything our dad was. He was the pride of the pack and he never let down their expectations. The day he became the leader was nothing special really. We didn't do much for things like that. We threw a party but that's mainly it, no ceremonies, no special intiation rituals, it was pretty straight forward. This Demitri guy came later that night with two girls at his side. They were both around my age, one older than me and the other younger. I was too young to remember everything that went on that night I was only about 5 at the time so things were sketchy.

"Oh now I remember you", Kristina's eyes lit up with recognition "I knew I recognized those blue eyes from somewhere". She looked proud at herself for making the connection.

"So how is my friend? Is he not here because he's ill?" Jeremiah looked anxiously towards Courtney. Even though Kristina was obviously older, Courtney looked like the one with the answers. Well she acted like the one with the answers.

"That's why we're here actually…Our pack was killed", Courtney bowed her head unable to met anyone's gaze "D-Demitri, Angela….all of them killed by a trap the clan set for us".

Kristina grabbed her hand, "we're not sure how many died but as far as we know we're the only ones who made it out in time". I sat there shocked, immobile. I knew the clan were cruel and cut throat but never that bad. It was their goal to wipe us out, every one of us. But never have I ever heard of them wiping out a whole pack. They were lucky if they got only one of us every two years.

"We were wondering if-"Courtney bit her lip unable to continue her sentence. In the corner of her eye was a single tear struggling to stand its ground.

"We were wondering if we could stay with your pack-", Kristina cut in saving her sister the trouble. "They always find us no matter how many cities we go to or how many times we elude them."

"Say no more, Demitri was like a brother to me. To refuse you would be to refuse my own" Jeremiah lifted his hand in the air to stop her from finishing. His mouth was curved into a sad smile. "You can stay here as long as you wish, and an invitation to the pack is of course open to you both".

"Now I think that you two have had a long night. We all have, so we can finish this talk tomorrow. But the most important thing right now is that you rest", his eyes crinkled and he looked warmly at them. "D get them some rooms, jenny and Greg's old ones should be good".

"Yeah sure", I got up from the couch and walked up the stairs too tired to protest. I hated playing tour guide but really I was just happy I was off the hook for now but after all the stories I heard tonight it would be just plain cruel to ignore them. Even I wasn't that bad. I led them to their rooms.

"So this is it really", I opened the door to Jen's old empty room. "Bed, mirror, dresser for your clothes"- I looked down at Courtney's deflated bag uneasily. Maybe I could steal the dresser now after all. With so little clothes what need would she have for a dresser. Sure she might get some more later but personally I wouldn't mind seeing her in that dress everyday.

"Um thanks then", she awkwardly looked away from my stare and to her new room with nothing left to say. Her cheeks flushed a deep red.

"Sure thing", I stepped out of her sister's way and headed up to the attic towards my room. What else could I really say to them, sorry? They were probably sick of that word by now. So I left. Tonight definitely turned out to be a lot weirder than I thought it would be.

**whew! my second chapter finally finished. Sorry it took so long but the next chapter will come a lot faster than this one. Promise. anyway thanx for all the reviews so far and hoped you liked it. oh yeah for future referrances i wanted to know who you from tdi you guys wanted to be in the story. im not exactly sure who's gonna be in it yet and where so i need a little help. (btw im not putting them all in it maybe ten tops). again thanx for reading and please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chap. 3

(Courtney)

I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door. "Um, Courtney are you awake?" a soft voice croaked on the other side of my door. The girl seemed nervous. I sniffed the air, she wasn't very tall-shorter than me and she smelled like the ocean. It was a subtle smell that I could appreciate. Next to her I picked up on another girl who was slightly taller but not by much. She had to be my height though not as built as me. Umlike her friend she smelled like burning candle wax and pencil shavings.

"Come on Bridge, we should let her sleep. Duncan said they got in late last night" another voice whispered after the first in a bored tone confirming my guess. The knocks started again followed by more whispered talking. Finally I untangled myself from my baby blue sheets and stumbled over to the door.

"Yes?" I opened the door to find two girls hunched over stopping their arguement on whether I should be woken up or not. One was a blonde with a light tan and sharp green eyes. She was smiling meekly at me while shoving her hands into her blue sweatshirt. She really seemed embarrassed to have woken me so I guess I wasn't acting so nice. Behind her was a paler girl with a lot of eye makeup. There was so much dye in her blue and black streaks that I was sure her natural color had completely disappeared. She was looking detached and bored. At least I didn't insult her with my morning rudeness.

Coughing I straightened my posture, "I'm Courtney". I awkwardly extended my hand for her to shake. It was a human custom that I had picked up at Charla's. To greet someone they would shake each others' hand for no reason. I never really got that custom and it took me even longer to do it right. But since they lived in the city they probably did it to. That's at least what I thought.

"Um…I'm Bridgette", the blonde shook my hand hesitantly, "And this is Gwen". Gwen just nodded and kept her hands at her side. Guess my move was wrong with the hand shake thing. I knew I wouldn't be able to get it right. Bridgette just smiled at my try and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"We may be in the city but we still carry out our traditions", Bridgette whispered into my hair before releasing me."Your sister is downstairs eating breakfast, and we-"

Gwen cut in-"**she** thought you wanted a wakeup call. I thought you would just want sleep".

"It's fine really, I guess I could do with something to eat", I followed them down the stairs where the scent of sausage and bacon teased my stomach. Kristina was already sitting at the table still in the clothes from yesterday. I sighed with relief knowing I wasn't the only one underdressed. My old pack wouldn't have minded it. Shredded clothes just went right along with our life style. But here everything was so different, it was like they lived their lives stuck in their human charade.

"Hey you're awake!" Kristina looked up from her plate of food and chucked an apple at me. Of course I caught it with no problem. I bit into it with a smile. Victory again like the apple it tasted oh so sweet.

"Sorry Nina you're gonna have to be faster than that next time", I sat in the seat next to her mocking her face. It was a game we played all our lives, a game that we started when I was only five. We would try to catch the other off guard by throwing things at each other randomly. If we caught it, then we got a point. If we missed then, well, we'd get a very big bruise. After a while we stopped counting the score and just did it for fun. It was a way to always keep ourselves on our toes. The other looked at us curiously. Guess they didn't do that here either.

"So do you want cereal? Or pancakes cuz we got plenty", I looked to the stove where there was a pile of food just waiting to be eaten. It smelled delicious. It had been so long since I eaten a home cooked meal or sat at a table to eat. Usually for breakfast Kristina and I would go out and hunt for something, cook it over a pit and eat it from our hands. We were on the run after all and finding table settings and chairs in the middle of the forest never happened. It was so unreal to be doing such normal things again.

"Um…I guess I'll just have some cereal and bacon" I answered Bridgette. I was never fond of cereal besides Captain Crunch-I could eat that stuff all day. It tasted a lot like cardboard and milk-not a good combination. But it was what everyone was eating and I didn't want them to make me anything else, that would be asking for too much.

"Ok", Bridgette jumped out of her seat and immediately went to the cupboards where there were rows of multicolored boxes lined up.

"Do you have any prefaces?" she asked searching through the shelves.

"She likes Captain Crunch if you have anything like that", Kristina answered for me giving me a quick smile.

"Good then you're in luck", she took out the orange box that I've come to love and shook it emphasizing her point. "Gwen?" she looked back towards her friends waiting for an answer.

"I'll just have the same, bring it over", Gwen slumped into her chair and played with her bowl and spoon.

The whole time we ate Kristina kept looking over at me nervous though our tables conversation. She thought that I was still mad at her from last night.

After Duncan had left us Kristina stayed in my room for comfort. It had been a long, hard night and I was worn down. Both my mind and body were too tired to function. I dropped onto my new bed and sank into the mattress. The sheets and pillow were cool from no use. Just what I needed.

"This place isn't so bad, huh", Kristina sat on the edge of my bed nudging my foot.

"It's ok I guess", I looked up to the ceiling and turned back to her.

"Jeremiah seems nice though"

"Yes, I can see why him and Demitri were friends. They're so much like each other", I smiled sadly. Jeremiah had the same calm and fatherly nature that Demitri attained. They even shared that same eye crinkling smile.

"Yeah they are", Kristina sighed and looked around the room. "So this is home now". The moment she said it she was sorry. Her eyes widened with fear. She knew she made a wrong move.

"This is **not** our home", I gritted through my teeth. My eyes cut into brown slits and I sat up on my bed. Our home was back in Montana surrounded by trees. Our home was with our family. It was not here! How could she just move on like that. Forget where we came from-who brought us up? How could she just replace everything that we knew in just a short instance. I growled through my teeth and grew my claws ready to defend my home's honor.

Kristina opened her mouth to protest something but instead stayed quiet. She bowed her head and slipped out of the room with no more to say. What could she say to me really? I could never find a home like my before. It was impossible. I could never replace the broken willow just outside my bedroom window or the water fall only a few minutes up the trail. Those were things that I had come to love so much and nothing could take their place. And now my **sister** was suggesting we move on. Just like that! I turned over on my bed and cried hot tears into my pillow until I went to sleep.

I smiled at her reassuringly. I'll be the first to admit that I can hold a grudge-and I knew she knew it as well- but I just wouldn't today. I think the sadness of my situation kept me from it. Plus last night I realized something she was the last member of my family I had left and I wasn't prepared to lose her over something as small as a slip of the tongue.

"Good morning ladies", Duncan came sauntering down the stairs with renewed vigor behind him Jeremiah followed with the same amused grin I had seen Duncan use the day before.

"Douche bag", Gwen nodded her head towards Duncan as he passed greeting him. He returned with his own sly grin. I watched their exchange with an amused grin. I wasn't exactly sure what a douche bag was but from the way he smiled it must have been a compliment. I leaned towards Kristina and asked her what it meant. She was so much better at slang then I was. Personally I preferred talking in my wolf tongue, it was straight forward and precise. But english was so much different, so much harder to grasp. English slang-forget it. Kristina picked up on it instantly when we were in the city. It seemed to roll off her tongue so naturally. She looked back at me and grinned knowingly. She gave me a "later" look so I let it slide.

"Someone's in a happy mood", He grabbed the bowl from under her and started finishing her breakfast. She just looked back at him with a crooked smile before throwing a napkin on the table defeated.

"What can I say, your face just made my day", she rolled her eyes sarcastically and let out a small chuckle. I was a little surprised to see her smile since her frown seemed to be permanently stained on her face in the morning.

"Helloooo dudes and dudettes!" a familiar voice yelled down the halls and into the kitchen. Kristina and I traded worried looks. We were no longer in our element here. It had been ages since we were surrounded by howling and unnecessary volume.

"Yo Geoff, in here!" Duncan yelled back with a spoon still sticking out of his mouth. Geoff came into the room in a similar outfit as yesterday. (A button down shirt that was flying open and a shady cowboy hat). Trent came in with a much more relaxed attitude than the previous night. They both seemed to be a lot happier now.

"Aw thanks I'm starving", Geoff took the bowl from Duncan's hands and ate the rest of the cereal greedily.

"Hey! I rightfully stole that!" Duncan reached out for the bowl again even though there were only a few drops of milk left.

"No by all means take as much as you want", Gwen cracked another smile as her bowl was passed between the two boys.

"Hey Gwen did you save any for me?" Trent fully moved into the room and sat in the chair across from her. He smiled adoringly at her.

"Um, sorry no", Gwen shrunk back into her chair. A small blush was spreading into her cheeks. They let the conversation drift off and began adverting their eyes to different places. I couldn't help but smile myself. The coy smiles, the blushing it was all so cute to watch.

"So guys, I'm glad you decided to come back and eat up all my food", Jeremiah came from behind us and leaned on our chairs. His eyes crinkled again when he smiled. I put my spoon down and gave up on my breakfast altogether. I was so consumed in all the conversations that I forgot all about the half eaten captain crunch in front of me.

"But I need you to show Courtney and Kristina around. Introduce them to a few of the pack, you know help them out a little". Jeremiah talked over crunching of cereal.

"Yeah yeah, sure thing", Duncan passed the pan of bacon around and hopped off the table stretching. "So are we gonna do this or what?"

"Yeah! Let's get this show on the road!" Geoff pumped his fist in the air.

"Oh hey you gonna eat that?" he hung over my shoulders and sniffed the untouched cereal in front of me. He began licking his lips eagerly.

"Um you can have it I guess", I picked up my bowl and surrendered it over shaking. For someone who was so eager to bind me yesterday he was overly friendly now. Beside me Bridgette and Gwen started laughing.

"Don't worry about it, we can always get you more later", Bridgette collected all the plates and put them in the sink already rinsing them out. I slipped myself out of the conversation that surrounded me. Even Kristina was starting to get into it. I looked over the crowd of smiles and laughs and caught the eye of Jeremiah. He had a small smile of his own and was gesturing me to follow him into another room. The laughter in the back ground faded from my ears as I wandered into the living room again.

"I know that Demitri believed in keeping to the trees so I was wondering if you've ever been to a school before" Jeremiah started with a calm expression. He folded his arms and leaned back against an arm chair.

"Well when we with Demitri no. When we stayed with Mariam and Pete they sent us but that was a year ago and we were only with them for a short month. It was nothing big, just a small public school. And we didn't stay in the city long enough after that", I answered looking around the room. I didnt like the way this conversation was going. Not at all.

"Ok, then you've at least been to one", he thoughfully paused for a second before continuing his sentence. "Since you are still 18 and we need to blend in..." I swallowed waiting for my moment of truth. I could see the words forming on his mouth spelling my doom. "...You'll be going to school with the others. I enrolled you this morning and you'll be starting Wednesday so you have time to settle in before you go. You won't be alone while you're there, so trust me it wont be that bad". He tried to comfort me as I pushed my thoughts through my head. Me go to school again? How would I deal with them again, all the eyes fixed on me 24/7. People watching me like I had a disease. It was hell.

"But...", I looked up into those eyes that reminded me so much of Demitri. How could i really say no to him? After he took us in and watched us.

"Fine", I relunctantly sighed in defeat. I just couldn't say no to him. Not after everything that has happened. "But what about Kristina?" There was no way she could pass for a school student anymore. Those days were long gone.

"I've already talked to her this morning. I got her a job as a waitress in a local bar since she's old enough. It doesn't pay a whole lot but it's the job I could pull up on short notice. Besides when they aren't at home or here that's where the pack hangs out, so we'll be able to keep an eye out for her", he put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. I felt myself calm down. At least Kristina was going to be ok.

"Ok then", I wasn't going to enjoy going back to school but this is the price that I had to pay for being here. And in retrospect it was a pretty good deal. To finally be able to relax and stop looking over my shoulder for a figure cloaked in black. To finally be around People like myself again and the only price was a little bit of torturous school. Yeah it was worth it.

We headed back into the kitchen where the group was waiting for us patiently. Geoff was no longer licking my bowl and looked satisfied with his breakfast of stolen goods. Gwen had opted to take a fruit with her, and was already half way through it. At least the boys didnt look like they were aiming to steal that as well. Trent was already beside her rubbing shoulders with her flirtatiously. You could tell she was having a hard time not smiling. Duncan was sitting on the counter talking to Bridgette and Kristina was patiently waiting for me to come back and join her at the table.

"Good you're back, we can get going now", Duncan hopped off the counter nodded for me and the group to follow him. I left my sister in the back again and gravatated towards the front where Duncan was yet again leading quietly. I don't know what it was that led me to the front, perhaps it was my natural will to lead-or at least partake in leading (even though I had no idea where I was going. But since I was in the front it still made me think that in a way they were still following me, sort of)- but I was drawn there. Not that I had a thing for Duncan. Not in the very least. His green hair, and body peircings seemed so unnatural and that just wasn't my thing. I like my men to be bound by nature like me. To take comfort in the forest instead of city. I liked them to be smart, logical, witty, and determined, like me. I hadn't met anyone like that yet but I was sure that they would pop up any minute now. Duncan just didn't fit any of those things. No, the only reason I was drawn to the front was because I liked being in the front. That's it.

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The sun was nearly out of the sky and from what Duncan and Geoff were saying we only had a one more house to stop by. So far we had met nearly every person in the pack. The only people we had missed were the ones off at work or at a bar called Rudy's. I walked up to Duncan who was still in the front bothered. I tired to drift towards the back with the others but it seemed wrong to be back here. Everyone was extremely nice to me and Kristina seemed to be having a good time but that gut feeling pulling me towards the front wouldn't leave me alone. So finally I quickened my pace and met up with Duncan only a few feet away. I made sure my steps were the lightest I could make them as I approached him hoping he wouldn't notice my presence at all.

"Trying to sneak up on me, babe?" he looked away from the road and turned his head towards me. That smirk he wore so casually was on his lips again.

"I'm not trying to do anything, and my name is Courtney", I looked away from the road too meeting his eyes to let him know I was serious.

"Well I don't want to call you Courtney, and you still havn't answered my question", his smirk grew breaking the politeness I was trying to give.

"Well **I** don't like it when people call me something besides my name", I gritted my teeth and pushed to be nice. I chanted in my head, _be nice Courtney, be nice._ But it didn't seem to work as well as it used to.

As if on cue my sister screamed behind us, "Duncan, C-ne, slow down a little". Duncan threw me a smug look.

"That's different, she's my sister, you're some random guy I don't know", I looked at the ground flustered. Kristina just had to ruin my point. I swear she had the best timing in the world.

"Ok babe, whatever you say". Duncan stomped forward on the pavement thinking he won the fight. And that sinking feeling in my stomach kept telling he did too. Well I wasn't going to admitt it, that's for sure.

"Where are we going now?", I mumbled the words under my breath and kept looking away. I needed to change the subject, and fast.

"To Aunt Julia's house. She's our pack's keeper", he answered.

"Oh". The conversation died back down and I could see things weren't going to pick up anytime soon unless I did something. These were the people I was going to be living with after all, so I might as well try and get along with them. Maybe that whole 'babe' comment was a one time thing. Everyone deserved a second chance after all.

"So is Jeremiah your father, you two kinda look alike", I asked.

"Is Demitri your father?" He asked back.

"I asked you first", I was starting to get impatient again.

"So"

"Ok", I looked impatiently ahead. He probably only needed a push forward and he then he would work with him. "Yes he was. He never really hung on the words exactly because all the children were raised by everyone, but he was". Our pack never really believed in one mother and father to a kid. It just never worked out that way. Children were celebrated by the pack and the responsibility to raise them was shared by the pack. I looked back at him expectantly.

"Oh so we have a princess in our mist. Well I'm honored really", he made a fake gestured of respect by bowing low to the ground. I rolled my eyes. Princes, and princesses were terms we never used. Neither was Queen and King. Sure we played around with the titles to mock Angela but it was never serious. And certainly noone ever called me or Kristina a Princess even though our parents were the leaders.

"I am not a Princess, and you still havn't answered my question", I quoted his words from earlier in the same tone he used. Looks like I was right to be patient. He wasn't as mean as he made himself to be. He smiled at me and in simple words said, "Nope". Nothing after, No explanation, like the one I gave him. Just nope.

"Nope? Well then who is your father, is he at work like the others?" I asked. I was slowly slipping past my boiling point. Just when I thought he would start being decent with me. Darn short temper was so hard to control.

"Sorry Princess, but I answer only one question a month", he kept looking forward that Darn smirk still on his face.

My cheeks were starting to turn red and I could feel my hands ball into fist, "I told you I am not a Princess". I fumed at the words he was saying. This only made him even more amused. I was so angry that I didn't even notice that we had stopped walking and were now waiting in front of a big white house. I looked up suprised at the setting. The house had an ancient look to it like it had been in that spot for ages. The paint along the window sills was chipping off and there were wind chimes dancing in the wind making a lovely sound. I was speechless. The house was so serene, so beautiful even with it's luster gone. That seemed to make it that much more enjoyable. It seemed like one of those homes from a fairy tale. Where any moment now an elderly grandma was sure to come out with a batch of cookies and elves singing behind her.

"Well it's about time you got here", an elderly woman was looking at us impatiently in the door frame. She had a stern look in her eyes and kept her hair in a tight braid that swung at her sides. Her mouth was turned down in a frown. She wasn't at all like the grandma I had dreamt of.

"Well, are you going to stand there or are you going to come in?" She disappeared back into the house not bothering to wait for our answer. And something told me she wouldn't really care if we gave her one. Either way she wouldn't have waited for us. The others in the group finally caught up to us and seemed to catch onto the end of her statement.

"Don't worry, she's not that bad once you get to know her", Gwen patted my back with a smile and followed the elderly woman through the door.

"Yeah, she's real cool once you get passed the crabbiness and everythin", Geoff smiled at me and pushed me forward. Did I really look that worried?

The inside of 'Aunt' Julia's house was filled with crystals. There were crystal vases, crystal chandeliers, and crystal figurines on every surface. The all glowed and shined perfectly next to each other. The crystal chandeliers bumped together ever so slightly making light muscial notes similar to the ones outside. It was a magical place to be. Just like the outside it had a surreal touch to it. It was hard to believe that such a place could belong to such a person.

"I'm in the back room", Aunt Julia's voice came from the very back of the house. The curtness from outside was still in her voice. We followed her voice to the back room where she was waiting on a long sofa reading a small book. A cat with black and white stripes was laying her her lap. I almost laughed at the cat. Was it aware that the person it was snuggling against was just another version of an oversized dog? It had to know. Animals avoided us as much as possible. They sensed the predator within, especially cats. They were the ones who feared us the most. The cat looked up at us with forest green eyes and hissed. I was pushed back by Gwen because we had come to close.

"Just stand back for a little bit, Madeline takes some time to get used to strangers", Gwen whispered to me before taking a step forward herself and reaching out to the feline. Again the cat hissed at her hand with the same attitude it had given me.

"And Gwen", Duncan walked past Gwen and sat next to Aunt Julia, the cat happily jumped from her lap to his without a hiss. Gwen just huffed at his response and took a seat across from him. Trent naturally gravitated towards her.

"I thought today was sure to be it", she pouted in the corner with her arms crossed. I looked around the room confused. There was something I was definitely missing.

"Madeline is Aunt Julia's pet and she's suprisingly good with our kind. Well at least with the our pack. But once she gets to know you she'll love you, or tolerate you. That's what she does with the rest of us", Bridgette looked around the room at the nodding heads. "Aunt Julia's really the only one she'll let touch her, well her and Duncan".

Duncan was sitting in the corner paying the cat no mind as it purred and rubbed against his body. He didn't move from his spot or give it any attention. He just sat there and muttered, "Wierd cat".

"Enough talking about my madeline", Aunt Julia snapped at us making Kristina and I jump. The others seemed to be unfazed even madeline who was still nesting into Duncan's laid back stomach. She then looked at the two of us, me especially. The silence in the room seemed to last forever.

"So you are the new comers", she paused for a second like we should tell her our names but continued before we had the chance. "Names are not important to me so save yourself the trouble of telling me". She was talking to both Kristina and I but her eyes never moved from my face.

"Are you hungry?" Her eyes looked back around the room finally leaving my face. Her mood never changed but something in her air seemed a little lighter than before.

"Hell yes!" Geoff shot up from his stool in the corner peircing the room with his loud voice. He looked excitedly at our faces like it was christmas morning. Man that Guy could eat.

Aunt Julia led us to a the kitchen where she shuffled through her fridge pulling out containers of all sizes. Each held another kind of food. Mashed potatoes, ham, prok, a pile of steaks-still raw my favorite, and a small amount of green stuff that looked like a bunch of tree leaves and carrots. There was a flurry of action moving around me. The boys were blurrs grabbing containers and peices of meat to put on their plate. There was a long line for the microwave that eventually Geoff shoved out of. Too impatient to wait he ate his plate cold. After my plate had been warmed I took a seat next to Bridgette who was already halfway through with her meal. She seemed nice and always gave me a friendly smile so I figured she wouldn't mind my presence. Besides when we were walking together earlier we seemed to hit it off right away.

"Hey did you want some of my steak. I know you weren't able to get any kind of meat earlier", I moved my plate towards hers. She had been so kind to me so far I felt like I had to return the favor. Besides the whole day all she ate was cereal and berries. Not once could she get her hands on any kind of meat...poor girl. to deny her some now would be just plain cruel.

"Oh I'm a vegetarian", she looked back at me with an uneasy smile. She made a face at the meat in front of her like it was rotten. I sniffed the air to make sure it was ok and sure enough it was perfect. I looked back at her confused.

"What's that?" I asked. I had never come across that word before and it sounded terrible.

"It means I don't eat meat", she calmly explained like she had done it a million times before.

"W-What?" I dropped my fork on the ground shocked. I had never heard of a wolf that didn't eat meat. It was a way of life. A neccesity to keep us going. You couldn't get that power from vegetables and fruits. Every wolf I knew loved meat. Well almost every wolf. The only exception I could think of was Darius. When I was around 13 he came to our pack with his father. They were both native american nomad wolves and traveled around the world seeking new temporary homes. And when his father believed it was time to move on DArius decided to stay with us all because of Kristina. They had an instant connection and soon became mates. They were so happy together before the accident. And he was so sweet. He had always loved animals and was one of the only wolves I knew that could get near an animal without freaking it out. He refused to go on any hunting trips with the rest of the men. Instead he chose to give back to the pack by working as what he called a medicine man. And everytime he did eat meat he felt so guilty for taking a life he would pray over the animals spirit. He even had a pet bunny of his own that clutched onto his side every second. But back to my point, even he ate meat.

"Well, I do eat meat but only when I'm in my fur and I have to. Otherwise I stick to this", Bridgette looked at my expression amused and pointed to her plated covered in green things.

"Ah, I see", I pulled my plate back towards me and looked away still a little confused. No meat. I couldn't imagine not eating any kind of meat at least twice a day. Like I said it was just a way of life. I slipped back into the conversation around the table. Putting a few words in every now and then. Every so often I would glance back at Aunt Julia nervously to see she was still staring at me intently. I tried to avoid eye contact with her as much as possible. Something about her intimidated me-and that has never happened to me before.

After dinner was finished we got ready to heed back to the house. I copied the others as we waved good bye to Aunt Julia and madeline on the porch. Before I got completly out of the way she caught my arm fiercely. I was spun around quickly almost getting whiplash.

"Wh-", I started but was cut off.

"I will be seeing you very soon...very soon", Aunt Julia looked me firmly in the eye and moved her face inches from my own. And just as soon as she had gripped onto me she let go. Madeline was trailing behind her leaving me stunned.

I will be seeing you very soon? What was that supposed to mean? I stared back at the closed door and at the house that once looked peaceful and magical. What was with that woman?


	4. Chapter 4

Chap.4

(Courtney)

"I will be seeing you". Aunt Julia's voice kept ringing in my head. I could still feel her fingers dig into my arm stopping me from moving any further. A shiver swam down my spine as I caught up with the others who were too engrossed in their conversation to even notice my absence. They were all laughing hysterically over Gwen's sour mood which I discovered was still because of Madeline's attitude towards her.

"It's ok Gwen, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal that she doesn't like you. You not the only one Madeline hates…oh wait, yes you are", Duncan swung an arm around Gwen's shoulder sarcastically trying to make her feel better.

"Oh shut up", Gwen pushed his arm off and growled at the laughing group behind her. Even I had to laugh at the cat's behavior towards her. It even warmed up to me and we had just met. About half way through dinner Madeline jumped from Aunt Julia's lap and circled around my chair wrapping her body around my leg. The action sent the table into an up roar. I blushed at the memory. I was terrible with animals but I guess Madeline proved that I still had hope just yet.

"It's not that bad Gwen. Madeline's just a weird cat. Really what kind of animal is attracted to us anyway?" Trent stepped in between Duncan and Gwen like a wall preventing an upcoming war. Duncan just rolled his eyes and walked away. That guy was really starting to get under my skin.

"I knew someone who used to hang around animals all the time", I looked at Trent's arm wrapped around her shoulder with a raised eye brow. They looked so comfortable with each other and seemed to so easily slip into another world with each other. An ache rumbled in my chest squeezing my heart.

"Who?" my eyes snapped back up to their faces and I could feel my face flush. What was going on with me lately? Why did I keep snapping out of it so much?

"An old friend of ours, he used to keep a pet rabbit with him wherever he went. He was like a giant but he had the biggest heart", the memories of Darius rushed back into my head like a hurricane. I wasn't prepared for the storm of grief that came behind it. Darius was so gentle and so patient, even with me. I put my chest pains aside and pulled my attention back to the staring eyes in front of me. I could feel Kristina's eyes especially boring holes into my head. She didn't want to think about him. Her mind touched my own and I could feel her agony swirl around in my head.

"Please", the mist of emotions whispered in my head begging me to stop. I complied. If I kept talking about him then I was sure to break down in front of everyone else.

"Hey that sounds like Deej", Geoff cheerily stated like what he said was the best thing in the world. I looked back at him without a care. I didn't want some boy named Deej, I wanted Darius and Dem-

"No Courtney don't even go there. Not now", I mentally chastised myself for bringing the past up. I wasn't going to cry. I couldn't. If anything I would bottle it up until I was in the safe confines of my room tonight. That way I wouldn't have to deal with the looks of pity and the murmurs of "sorry".

"Yeah", Bridgette picked up where Geoff left off, "a rabbit follows his every move. He calls the little guy bunny".

"Can you take us to him", I rushed towards Bridgette with a hopeful smile. A light clicked on in my head. Maybe this Deej was really our Darius. Maybe he had escaped the blistering fire at the last moment like us. Maybe just maybe, he had survived. How many huge wolves did you see with rabbits following them after all? There were just too many coincidences for me to look the other way at this point. I looked between the two blondes waiting for a response. Kristina stayed silent behind me.

"Yeah, he should still be on his shift at Rudy's place now anyway", Geoff looked in the opposite direction and squinted his eyes. "Yeah definitely!"

Duncan wordlessly redirected the group and took his position in the front once again. He led us deeper into the city where there were still a few stores opened even at this time of night. There were neon lights glowing above us and young couples laughing in flashy outfits.

"Well here it is", Duncan swept his arms out to the brick bar in front of us. There was only a dingy light blinking in the window saying 'open'. The loose tiles on the roof were tearing from the base and slowly sliding to the ground. Loud music boomed from inside and there were still a few men waiting outside smoking cigarettes.

"Duncan! To what do we owe this pleasure", the bigger of the two men stomped out his cigarette and gestured for us to come inside. There was a large pink scar fresh across his neck similar to the one I had seen peeking under his shirt sleeve. They were scars from a fight no doubt. His friend seemed to have the scars on his eye. They were obvious signs of a fight they got into. Under the smell of cigarettes and alcohol was the scent of my kind.

The inside of the bar was pulsating with life. There were people dancing and laughing in the small amount of space. The scent of wolf kind filled the air. Jeremiah wasn't lying when he said this was his pack's place to hang out.

"Ah Lucas first I need to know if Deej is still here", he pumped his fist with Lucas' and started looking around.

"Yeah I think he's in the back at the bar", Lucas pointed over his shoulder and turned with his friend to dance with a meat girl. Duncan nodded and followed where he pointed only stopping once in awhile to bare his teeth a man with attitude.

"Duncan", another man seared his name through his name shooting him evil glares. This guy as well was covered in pink scratches on the verge of forming scars. Even though he was human he was still menacing (though I knew I could take him if I tried). He looked about 30 maybe 32 but that was probably just from the alcohol in his system. The alcohol was probably also causing his staggering feet. Even in his slumped over state you could tell he was tall. He almost stood as tall as Duncan. Almost. He looked extremely pissed. What was with all these angry men covered in bandages here? I turned my head to Bridgette and perked my eye brow mentally asking what was going on. Thankfully she got what I was saying and mouthed to me "later".

Geoff and Trent immediately went to his side tensing their muscles. The man looked at the boys unafraid. His friends like Geoff and Trent flew to his side matching their numbers. Though they looked threatening there was no question as to who would win this fight. Geoff and Trent were muscular no doubt but Duncan towered over them ripped with muscles. Of course Jeremiah was bigger but he was an alpha so that went without saying but other than that he had to be one of the biggest males here.

"Harry, Harry, Harry", Duncan crossed his arms and flexed his muscles. Crowds of people were quieting around the feud with worried eyes. A young women was tugging on the sleeve of Harry pleading with him to leave. He ignored her and kept snearing at Duncan. It was obvious who won the fights around here.

"Shut it kid", Harry swung back his fist and launched it at Duncan trying to catch him off guard. Duncan didn't even have to try to catch it. It was like Harry had handed him his fist. Once he grabbed it, Duncan smashed the him into the table behind him. A loud crack was heard as the table collapsed under the weight of the man. Some of the pack came over to the loud racus.

"Duncan why must you cause a mess on **my **shift", a low soft voice came from behind me. I turned around to see a large man, in his mid twenties. He had light ebony skin, wore a playful grin and had soft hazel eyes. Across his right eye was a long scar flowing all the way to his chin. The scar was new but I remembered those very familiar eyes easily. They were the eyes I had dreamt about so many nights. Those eyes among many others I always dreamt about.

"Not my fault. This asshole started it", Duncan pointed over to the unconscious man laying on the crumpled pieces of table. Hid mate was by his side clutching his hand for dear life. The large man didn't answer Duncan because he was too busy staring at me. I lifted my hand unsure if the man in front of was real or not.

"D-Darius?" I asked stepping forward.

"C-ne!" Darius covered the space between us and pulled me into a hug. I could barely breathe but the opportunity of seeing someone I thought I had lost was worth the loss of air. He released me and took a step back. A tear was glistening in his eye. Good ol' Darius.

"Where is Nina? I", Darius started but he was answered by Kristina's sobbing form. She was crying uncontrollably with joy yet hadn't gotten the common sense to move yet. Darius started crying as well and ran towards her picking her up and spinning her around. They became a mass of tears and laughter, kissing each other with no intentional end.

"Way to go Dj", Trent muttered at the kissing scene in front of him. I coughed as the scene developed a little bit more than necessary. I was happy they were together again, but I wasn't sure if now was the time for a full reunion. They both shoveled their clothes embarrassed. Well Darius (or Dj like they kept calling him for some reason) was embarrassed. He was practically turning into a tomato. Kristina wasn't ashamed in the least. She was too busy smiling to care about the people around her.

"So I'm guessing you guys know each other then", Gwen said sarcastically at the couple still hanging onto each other. Darius blushed an even deeper red.

"Their pack was my pack", Darius gestured towards a large table in the back. The fight from before was completely forgotten and as we drifted to the back the reunion scene we caused was beginning to be forgotten as well. The pack would no doubt be brought up to date on everything that happened tonight and the other humans-well they probably knew they were never going to get any answers. Slowly the music picked up again and people began dancing.

"I thought I'd lost you, Nina", Darius looked into Kristina's eyes and touched foreheads sighing with pleasure. He looked back at me and grabbed my hand with his free one with a smile. "You too lil' sis. I've missed you both so much. I thought I'd never see either of you again". Tears were starting to form around his eyes again.

"So that's where you're from!" Bridgette looked at the three of us excitedly. What was that supposed to mean.

"You didn't tell them where you're fro-Oh", I stopped myself understanding why he hadn't told anyone what happened. "The vow of silence", I finished. I didn't have to ask him anymore because I finally understood. When we had first met Darius and his father, his father was taking a vow of silence for his late father. It was a tradition in their culture that they take the vow for at least three years after the loose a loved one. The first year you are not allowed to say one word. The second year was restricted words and the third year you could not talk about the past. Only his father was taking the vow since Darius had never met his grandfather. For the three months that his father was with us he never said one word. He used his son as a translator for whatever he needed.

"Yes", Darius nodded.

"So how long have you been here?" I asked him.

"Two years ago. I came here right after…", he trailed off and started looking in different directions. A depressing mood was starting to come over the group.

"Well at least we're together again", I squeezed their hands and looked between the two with a smile. Now was not the time to relive the past. It was a happy time. We had just been reunited by a beloved family member. Now should be a celebration time.

"She's right", Darius' smile broadened and that sad tear in his eye stayed put. He turned to a girl wearing a white t and denim uniform with a motherly face. Another one of our kind. "Annette can you bring us a round of cokes", he asked her.

"Sure sugar", she looked around the table "Ya'll want me to goose that? I don't mind", she asked giving Duncan a wink.

"Of course", Duncan looked back at her with a wink of his own. "Thanks Netty". A few minutes later 'Netty' came back with a plate of cokes filled to the brim. She left again giving everyone a warm smile.

We sat there for an hour listening and talking among ourselves. Well it was mostly Darius and Kristina talking to each other. I mostly listened like the others. I was more aware of the jokes they shared than everyone else but there were even some jokes between them that I knew nothing about. Eventually we felt like it was time to go and we began to leave. The display we had created earlier was now completely forgotten, so it was ok to leave without anyone else coming at us for a fight. We had left Kristina behind with Darius at the bar since she wanted to spend more time with him. Plus she was going to be working there in few days so he wanted to show her the ropes after his shift was finished. That was the first night I didn't have a nightmare.

**Yay another chapter done!!! This one wasn't as long as the ones before but I really wanted to get the part about Dj done. By the way if you didn't get that part Dj and Darius are the same person. Dj being a junior decided to take on his nickname as a child when he first moved into Duncan so he could sort of start over. So that's the explanation with that one. Any who thanks for reading hoped you all liked it and please review. Thanks!**


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